Pieces of an Egg
by crescent-moon-demon
Summary: *AU* "In Rabbit tradition, it is polite and mannerly to share chocolate with one another. But when a young rabbit is finally of age, he must take pre-caution. Too share dark or brown chocolate is known as a marriage proposal, if the receiver eats the given piece they are accepting the proposal." Can Sasuke wrangle up the courage to give Naruto his chocolate? Fluff, oneshot


**AN: Originally posted February 16, 2008. This is a kemonomimi-theme story, meaning Sasuke and Naruto are people, but with rabbit ears and tails and they live in a weird rabbit culture and do strange rabbit things, and... yea... Also, this is ****_severely_**** AU. Hope you enjoy though!**

**Title: Pieces of an Egg  
Series: Naruto  
Pairing: SasukeXNaruto, shonen-ai  
Rating: T**

_In Rabbit tradition, it is polite and mannerly to share chocolate with one another. Children can share pieces of all shapes and sizes, all of this seen as proposals of friendship. But when a young rabbit is finally of age, he must take pre-caution. Too share dark or brown chocolate is known as a marriage proposal, if the receiver eats the given piece they are accepting the proposal. But of course, that doesn't count if the rabbit is force-fed or tricked. Only white chocolate is seen as a proposal of friendship to adult rabbits. _

Sasuke gazed at the textbook, re-reading the passage he had just read. His cheeks turned slightly pink as he gazed at the line for the marriage proposal. There was one person the black rabbit had in mind. Yes, Sasuke Uchiha was a rabbit folk. He had silky black rabbit ears sprouting just behind his bangs, and pale skin, and a small black fluff ball of a tail. He looked just like any other villager in the village of Konoha, except for his dark red eyes that would appear in the midst of attack or anger. His clan had been one of the most prestigious and important families, second of course to the Royal family. But all of that changed, when Sasuke's older brother changed sides and joined a group of rouge animals, massacring the whole clan and leaving Sasuke as the only survivor.

That had happened many years ago, when the rabbit was only a young bunny. But now he was older (13 years old to be exact) and was considered an adult in the eyes of the community. He had trained and honed his skills through-out his lonely childhood, and was the best and youngest fighter the village had. Well...to say his childhood had been a lonely one would be a lie. Sasuke shifted around in the over-stuffed chair, settling the large book more comfortably on his lap. The raven smiled softly as he remembered perhaps the happiest moment of his life, back when he was a child and a year after his clan's murder.

**-Flashback-**

A younger Sasuke pummeled fists and feet into another dummy, unsheathing a blade as he sprang up into the sky, slicing away at the undergrowth as he spiraled to the ground. Landing lightly, Sasuke turned onyx eyes toward the dummies and trees, watching in satisfaction as a moment later, everything fell to pieces. The rabbit sheathed his blade and wiped at his forehead. He had been training non-stop since dawn, and gazing toward the sky he could see that it was late afternoon. Somewhat fatigued, the young boy walked toward a small stream's edge, dunking his hands into the clear water. A twig snapped behind him, and Sasuke quickly through a couple daggers into the bush from which the sound had emitted. "Whose there?," the raven had growled, stepping forward slowly. A small intake of breath and then- "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" Sasuke stared in surprise as another boy (approximately the same age as him) stepped out from the bush, holding the black rabbit's throwing daggers in a small tan hand.

Sasuke gazed at the other rabbit's beautiful gold spikes and ears, whiskered cheeks never seen on any other villager, and shining blue eyes darkened by anger. "Well? Are you gonna stand there and stare or are you gonna answer me?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow and took his weapons from the other rabbit.

"I have no answer to give you. You were the one foolish enough to try to sneak up on me while I was training," he said, finding it quite amusing when the blonde turned red from fury. The gold rabbit grew tight-lipped, and clenched his fists at his side. The boy looked as if he was going to erupt into a tantrum. Sasuke rolled his eyes slightly, before turning back to the stream. "I would ask that you leave now. I have to resume my training and I don't need any idiots getting in the way." When he didn't hear any movement, Sasuke looked behind him. The other boy was still there, staring at his feet. Sasuke glared in annoyance.

As if feeling the raven's glare, the gold rabbit looked up, locking eyes with Sasuke. "I don't want to leave yet." Sasuke mentally sighed. "Do whatever you want," Sasuke said.

After which he resumed his training, the gold rabbit standing off to the side, watching. Sometime after the sun set, Sasuke returned home. Everyday then, for the entire week, the blonde boy would show up during his training and just watch. Sasuke thought it to be annoying, and distracting. On the final day, the dark rabbit snapped. He turned to the gold boy, who was seated on a large boulder, glaring at him heatedly.

"Why do you keep pestering me? What is it that you want?!" The blonde seemed shocked at Sasuke's angry tone, but he only returned the glare. "I'm not pestering you!," the other boy shouted back. Sasuke gritted his teeth, and gathered his things. "Your presence is a nuisance, and only furthers to distract me from the task at hand. I demand that you remove yourself from my sight and never show yourself to me again, you incompetent fluff ball." S

asuke turned to gaze at the blonde. The gold rabbit still sat on the boulder, fists clenched in his lap. The cerulean eyes were speckled with unshed tears as the boy glared at him. With a quick in-take of breath the boy jumped down from his perch, fleeing from the clearing, face turned away from the raven. As the blonde disappeared into the bush, something fell from his pocket. Sasuke thought to leave the forgotten object where it lay, but a nagging feeling told him otherwise. The black rabbit strode toward the fallen bundle, picking it up in surprise. It was a small chocolate egg, wrapped up in a tiny bow. A small tag identified it as a gift for him.

Sasuke felt his stomach drop as guilt flowed through him. The blonde had only wanted to be his friend, sasuke realized. _'But I can't have friends. I must work to get stronger. I must avenge my clan!'_ Sasuke gripped the chocolate, tempted to throw it away but in the end slipped it into the pocket of his white shorts. The next day, Sasuke found himself returning to the clearing. He was still feeling guilty about last night, and didn't feel like training much. Stepping into the clear space, Sasuke was surprised to find the blonde rabbit seated in the middle of the clearing. The boy turned to look at him when he heard the raven, Sasuke being taken back by the clear clarity of the sapphire orbs. The two stared at each other, neither one moving.

Finally the blonde rabbit spoke up. "I-I dro-dropped something yesterday...i-I only came back t-to get it..." Sasuke understood that the boy was talking about the friendship chocolate, that sat still wrapped up nicely in his pocket. Slowly Sasuke removed the sweet from his pocket and held it so that the blonde could see. The smaller rabbit got to his feet and shyly stepped forward.

It was now or never, Sasuke thought as he gazed at the blonde's reaching hand. Swiftly, making sure not to get any of the ribbon, Sasuke took a bite of the rounded sweet. The scared blue eyes widened in surprise as the Uchiha ate the chocolate, not noticing that the black rabbit was desperately trying hard not to spit out the sugary thing. Truth be told, all rabbits loved the milky treat, but Sasuke was one of the few in history who despised chocolate (or anything sweet) to a T. Swallowing, Sasuke looked at the shocked blonde.

"You wanted to be my friend, am I correct? Then I accept...and I apologize further in advance for my rude behavior." For a moment, nothing happened, then the blonde smiled brightly at the black rabbit. The tanned boy rushed forward now, wrapping his arms as far as they could go around Sasuke. Sasuke felt himself blush at the contact, and struggled against the blonde.

"Yay! Sasuke is my friend now!" Sasuke finally managed to get free and took a breath. "Yes, that's all fine and dandy but I don't even know you're name yet," Sasuke pointed out. The blue-eyed boy realized this as well, and scratched the back of head embarrassedly.

"I'm sorry. My name's Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto!" Sasuke felt himself pale. Uzumaki...that was the name of the Royal family. Sasuke Uchiha had insulted, yelled and befriended the heir to the throne. _'That's just great...'_

**-End Flashback-**

Sasuke smirked as he thought of how that was the beginning of everything. If the black rabbit had never befriended the chocolate-obsessed blonde then he probably missed out on all sorts of laughs and happy moments that otherwise he would have denied himself. Naruto was always there for him, always smiling and encouraging and never letting Sasuke brood. _'Wish he would have at least sometimes,'_ Sasuke thought. Turning his dark gaze out of the large window beside him, Sasuke saw the young prince running about outside. The blonde boy was playing with Kiba, the dog prince of a neighboring kingdom. A merry blush adorned the blonde's whiskered cheeks, making Sasuke somewhat jealous. Naruto had finally turned of age to be married and many suitors were trying to propose to the blonde. Already Naruto had received a large amount of wrapped chocolate and thankfully the blonde had turned down every piece that wasn't white. Because of Naruto's reputation, many people were taking advantage of the village tradition, hoping the blonde would slip up and satisfy his large chocolate hunger.

But the blonde rabbit would need to choose a mate soon enough, after all he and his suitor would need to take the throne. Queen Tsunade was getting old and grumpy, she would want to retire soon. Sasuke got to his feet, and walked over to the large mahogany book shelves that reached to the tips of the Royal library's roof, placing the large textbook back in its original spot. Sighing, the rabbit thought it time he finally left. Lightly his fingers trailed over the spines of books as he walked, stirring up small wisps of dust. Stepping out from the aisle, Sasuke paused in the foyer, gazing at the large painting of the snake king, Orochimaru. An enemy since many years ago, yet also the forgotten friend of the Queen and her advisor Jiraiya, Sasuke could still remember the terrible day where he had nearly lost Naruto to such a hideous man. It was only last spring, Sasuke recalled...

**-Flashback-**

It was a beautiful spring day, and instead of training like he wanted to, sasuke was being dragged through fields of flowers and tall grass by an ever-hyper blonde rabbit. The little blonde tail bobbed about temptingly as the tanned boy ran about, kicking up dirt as he smiled merrily. Fighting down a blush, and a potential nose bleed, Sasuke forced himself to focus on the situation at hand: keeping an eye out for Naruto, who had a nasty case of constantly running into trouble. Speaking of which...where was he? Sasuke's heart stopped for a second when he realized that he had just lost Naruto.

"Naruto?!" Sasuke looked around, casting worried eyes everywhere. Suddenly a scream sounded from within the forest, not too far from the field. "Dammit...,"Sasuke growled as he rushed toward the sound. Dodging past bush and tree limb, sasuke finally managed to find Naruto. The blonde rabbit was standing in the middle of a dark clearing, shaking terribly as he gazed toward something in his view. Sasuke leaped down from the branch, landing right beside the traumatized boy. "Naruto, what's-," Naruto pointed ahead as a dark, menacing laugh broke out.

Spinning around, Sasuke found himself facing a tall pale man, yellow slitted eyes staring down at him cruelly. "My, my...,"the man hissed. "Who have we here? Ah, I sssssssee. The future princcccce of Konoha, and the final heir of the Uchiha clansssssss...What an interesssssting development." Sasuke reached for his sword, holding the blade between the snake and him. The gold eyes glanced at the blade, before Orochimaru again began to cackle. "Do you honessssstly think you can sssssstop me? You are a fool, rabbit!"

A Gentle hiss escaped the man as his body began to twist and bend, changing shape before their very eyes. This was what the strongest of their kind could do, change completely into their animal forms. _'But such a things has not been done in centuries,' _Sasuke noted. _'How is he able to do it?' _A large black snake stood before them now, mouth opened wide to show fangs that dripped deadly poison, black scales gleaming in the faint forest light. Hissing, the serpent struck forward, racing towards the two young rabbits. Instinctively, Sasuke grabbed naruto, jumping up into the sky; slicing at the creature's eyes as it followed their ascent.

Blood gushing from its now useless eyes, the snake pulled back, hissing in aggravation and pain. Sasuke landed softly amongst some grass, Naruto clutched tightly at his side. The snake turned its head around, forked tongue flickering out from between its coiled lips. "Ssssssso...you think you can hide from me? Foolisssssh bunny, I ssssshall sssssssmell you out!"

The mighty jaws snapped open again as the snake took another dive at them, this time nearly skinning Sasuke's leg as he leaped away. Black eyes searched about frantically for a way to disturb the reptile's sense of smell. A pool of mud, still fresh from yesterday's rain caught his attention. Quickly as the snake began to rise, Sasuke landed and pushed the prince toward the dark goop. A squelch notified him that indeed Naruto had fallen into the mud. Satisfied, Sasuke moved away from the puddle, trying to draw the snake's attention.

"S-sasuke!" The raven turned toward the blonde, noticing the boy's worried expression. "Naruto, stay where you are!," he commanded as the gold rabbit got to his feet as he again dodged the large snake. "Cover yourself well, and keep in the mud. This slimy serpent won't be able to find you if he can't smell you!"

Sasuke slashed at the underside of Orochimaru's jaw, sprinting away as the snake bit down into the earth. Sweat trickled down his forehead, his breath coming in heavy pants. He was tiring, that he could tell. But how much more time before he was able to fend off this scaly lizard? A slimy hand was placed on his leg, and Sasuke jumped in surprise. Looking down, he found himself staring straight at the muddy face of the prince. Somehow, without meaning too, Sasuke had circled back around to the mud puddle currently occupied by Naruto.

"Nar-" "Stop moving. We've got some time before he attacks again." Sasuke felt his ears rise at the blonde's serious tone, before turning back front, holding his sword straight and keeping an eye on the snake as it worked to remove dirt from his large mouth. The slimy hands stayed on his legs, moving up and down, until all his skin was covered in mud. _'Naruto...just how intelligent are you?' _Sasuke wondered, as he thought back to how foolishly the gold rabbit normally acted. The raven's concentration broke for a second, when the hands began to rub mud into his shorts, the palms flitting over the crotch and seat of his shorts. Sasuke held in a groan, willing his mind not to picture those images that would surely get him into deeper trouble.

Due to his lack of focus (no thanks to some wandering hands) Sasuke never noticed that Orochimaru had finally freed his mouth until the snake's face was practically at his face. The whole world shifted though as he saw his reflection in those fangs, the black rabbit being pulled down into the puddle by a terrified blonde. Unfortunately, the delayed reaction gave the snake the chance to scrape his fangs on the dark rabbit's legs, spreading his poison, even as the rabbit was pulled away from a quick death. Sasuke could feel Naruto cradling him close, the cool feel of mud squelching among him, could hear the snake pull back for another strike even as the poison flooded his senses; making him even more weak and faint than he already was.

"N-nar...uto..." His speech trailed off, and his eyelids drooped as the poison took even more effect. How long until he passed out and died? _'No,'_ he thought. _'I have to survive...for Naruto's sake.' _Sasuke felt his world shift, and before his waning vision he could see the prince pick up his sword and stride toward the waiting serpent. His heart rate doubled and he knew he couldn't breathe. He wanted to shout to the blonde, to tell him to stop this mad charade. There was no way Naruto would be able to take on that giant snake.

Sasuke grunted in pain as he tried to sit up, anything was better than waiting for the poison to kill him off. Naruto rose the sword and screaming, charged at Orochimaru. The reptile seemed to almost smirk, before opening his mouth and scooping the gold rabbit into his mouth. He could feel the whole world die around him. "N-naruto!" He had finally gotten his voice back, albeit too late. The black snake coiled back around, turning his head to the raven.

"Poor Ssssssasssssuke-kun...did I accccccccidentally ssssssswallow your precccciousssssss rabbit?" Sasuke felt his red eyes bleed forth, the black commas inside swirling with crazy ferocity. _'This bastard is going DOWN!'_ Sasuke pulled his spare daggers out from the soles of his shoes, with trembling hands as the snake's venom still circulated through him, aiming the weapons for the reptile's vital points. Orochimaru shifted forward to attack, when he suddenly stopped. The snake's lithe body began to bubble and bend outwards in a sickening fashion. "Wha-?!" was the last thing Orochimaru uttered before the edge of a blade protruded from the snake, slicing along the circumference of the serpent's body.**(1)** The head toppled to the side, blood and bodily fluids pulsing forward from the fresh hole, a certain blonde rabbit appearing among the bits of scales and guts. The boy crawled out from the dead reptile's coiled body, still gripping Sasuke's sword tightly, as he gulped large amounts of air. Sasuke watched relieved as the other rabbit finally spotted him and crawled over, falling into the raven's arms.

Sasuke had never seen Naruto cry, as the boy was always cheerful and amused, but Naruto did cry. Thick, large tears that muddled his blue eyes; with snot dripping down onto his lip. He held the sobbing blonde, content that at least the boy was alive, and no injuries in his sight. Later on, they were found by a group of palace guards, just when the poison was making him feverish. They were instantly taken back to the palace, where Naruto was cleaned up and Sasuke healed. Queen Tsunade then made an appearance smothering Naruto in clinging hugs, so relieved that the prince was alive and well, before announcing that Sasuke was to be Naruto's personal guard. Sasuke mused over this new position, finding it pointless since he had already been the boy's personal guard, though not formally.

**-End Flashback-**

"Oi, Sasuke? What are you doing?" Sasuke turned to the blonde, who stood looking slightly puzzled in the doorway of the library. Sasuke mentally shook himself and focused back on the present.

"Just reminiscing," he answered. Naruto smiled softly at that, before coming forward and grabbing his arm.

"Come on. Baa-chan wants to speak to us." Sasuke smirked at the childish name the prince took to calling his mother. Quietly the two walked down the palace hallway, content in their silence. The black rabbit snuck looks at the blonde beside him, thinking back to the words of the textbook. It was tradition...would it be strange if he followed it too? Sasuke fingered the egg in his pocket, imagining how life would be if he did proposed. So far, things didn't look so bad.

The two continued to walk down the long palace hallways, their feet lightly padding against the marble. As they got closer and closer to the throne room, Sasuke felt himself get more nauseous and worried. What if the queen had finally got fed up over her son's indecision and had decided the blonde's partner for him? If that was the case, then the raven didn't want to go any farther. Realizing he was staring down at his feet -when had that happened?- Sasuke turned his gaze back up. Before them stood the throne room doors, the slabs of cherry wood and red stone and gold trimming gleaming in the light. Sasuke felt rooted to the spot, eyes wide with unknown fear, breathe coming in short rasps. Naruto gazed at the black rabbit worriedly. With all rights, the Uchiha was hyperventilating for Pete's sake!

Naruto touched Sasuke's arm lightly. "Sasuke...are you ok?" Sasuke snapped out of his daze, looking down at the confused blonde. His heart beat rapidly. It was now or never, before he could lose Naruto.

"N-naruto...," Sasuke began, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a brown chocolate egg, wrapped in a silk white bow, of a medium size. He put it into tan hands, not even bothering to finish his sentence. He was sure naruto knew what he was talking about. Naruto cradled the egg in his palms, looking at it strangely. The puzzled eyes turned up at him a moment later, and Sasuke felt his heart lurch in his chest again. This time it was for a different reason. Naruto bit his lip, almost it seemed in apology, before bowing his head._ 'Please, don't_ _tell me...,'_ Sasuke thought. _'Does this mean that he doesn't accept?'_ Obsidian eyes watched in pain as the egg dropped from the blonde's hands, before hitting the floor with a crunch. It sounded similar to his breaking heart.

His breath was coming in short, shallow intakes again; he could feel the heat glazing over his eyes. The throne room doors had opened, the Queen and her court stood watching the scene, their eyes glued on the broken egg. Sasuke gave them a fleeting glance, before turning away. He needed to get out of here, before he made an even bigger fool of himself. "

Sasuke!" Warm hands spun him around, halting his escape, warm lips landing on his own. The raven's eyes widened in surprise as he realized the one kissing him was Naruto, the delicious taste of strawberries and milk and the scent of tempting chocolate all his. The smaller arms were wrapped around him tight, even as Naruto released the kiss. A gasp brought the black rabbit's attention back to the open doors, where all the royal court gazed on with wide eyes. Most of the expressions were shocked and confused, but the Queen's was a pleased one. Naruto turned to see what the raven was gazing at, _'eep'_ing in surprise at their audience. Obviously the prince never noticed that people had been drawn out by the noise.

"Well, it's about time," Tsunade said. "Now hurry up and get in here. We've got some business to attend to."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Seated at the palace's balcony, sat Sasuke, staring up at the night's sky. Today had been surprising, to say the least, but not necessarily bad. A flash of blonde caught his attention, and turning he saw Naruto enter onto the balcony, walking toward him. The blonde prince smiled broadly as he took a seat beside the warrior. "Hey...why are you outside?" Sasuke looked out at the sparkling sky. "Just needed some air," the black rabbit answered. Naruto continued smiling, shifting closer to the stoic raven, before cuddling up against his side. Sasuke stiffened, relaxing again, blushing lightly. It was quiet for a minute, before Sasuke spoke up, bothered by something that had been on his mind for a while now. "Naruto...why did you refuse my chocolate, then accept my proposal. Isn't rejecting the chocolate initially rejecting the offer it's meant to represent?" Naruto frowned slightly, before turning his cerulean eyes up at Sasuke.

"Though it's true that's what the chocolate is meant to be, too many people have tried to use it against me just because I love the stuff. I knew that if I accepted the egg, the council especially would deny the acceptance. They would argue that I only ate the chocolate because I was hungry and couldn't resist. I didn't want that to happen...so I decided I would do something different. Anything to ensure that my choice wouldn't be challenged by the council."

Sasuke blushed even more as he recalled the kiss -how soft those plump lips had felt- amazed at the prince's intelligence once again. Naruto sat up straight, studying Sasuke closely. "Is something the matter? Are you angry at me?," the gold rabbit asked. The raven turned his face to the blonde's, noting the short difference between both their lips, smirking. "I could never be mad at you...dobe." Naruto pouted and was about to rant when Sasuke'd had enough, and decided not to wait for the boy to explode.

He kissed the smaller rabbit hungrily, pulling the warm body closer as tan fingers ran through his hair. His hands stroked the gold rabbit ears and tail, bringing a moan from Naruto. Desperate for air, he finally released his victim's lips, still holding the lithe body against his own. "S-sasuke...," Naruto panted. "Y-your supp-posed to wait until **a-after** the wedding."

Grudgingly Sasuke acknowledged, loosening his hold enough so that Naruto could rest in his arms gently. He had waited years, he noted, waiting a few more months wouldn't kill him. And then he and the blonde would be allowed _-expected really- _to do what any married couple was privileged to do. Inner Sasuke drooled at the imagery. After all they were rabbit folk and when you thought about what rabbits do...Still, Sasuke was happy all the same that finally after years, this gold rabbit would be his.

'_I'll love you forever and a day.' _

**(1): you know how Hercules killed that first purple monster in Disney's film? Well, that's how Naruto did it.**


End file.
